Report: Briles a target for Mississippi State

Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles reacts on Saturday, October 8, 2022, during the second quarter of a football game at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss.

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles is reportedly a target for new Mississippi State Coach Zach Arnett to fill the same position with the Bulldogs.

The interest was reported by Steve Robertson of 247Sports.com in Mississippi.

Arnett, the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator under Mike Leach, was promoted to head coach last month after Leach’s unexpected passing.

Briles, 40, had four different offensive coordinator roles in four years at Baylor, Houston, Florida Atlantic and Florida State prior to contacting Sam Pittman and securing a spot on his initial Arkansas staff in 2020.

He signed an amended three-year contract last year that brought his annual salary to $1.2 million in 2022, with built-in raises to $1.25 in 2023 and $1.3 million in 2024.

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Briles’ offenses in three years at Arkansas have been balanced and productive, and feature the three highest single-season completion percentages in school history.

Arkansas put up 6,128 total yards this season, the second-highest total in school history behind the 6,273 yards in 2010, and just the third 6,000-yard season for the program. The Razorbacks had 3,077 rushing yards and 3,051 passing yards while going 7-6 in Briles’ up-tempo Run-Pass Option attack.

Sophomore tailback Raheim Sanders rushed for 1,443 yards, the fourth-highest total in school history.

In their final game, a 55-53 triple-overtime win over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl, the Razorbacks posted 681 total yards, their highest figure in the Pittman-Briles era and a school postseason record.

The Razorbacks are currently 16th in the FBS with 471.4 total yards per game, No. 7 with 236.7 rushing yards per game, 64th in passing (234.7 ypg), 18th in team passing efficiency (156.6) and 35th in scoring (32.5 points per game).

Quarterback KJ Jefferson is second in the SEC and eighth nationally with a passer efficiency rating of 165.22.

Jefferson and Feleipe Franks, the Razorbacks’ nine-game starter in 2020, hold the top three single-season pass completion percentage marks.

Franks broke Kevin Scanlon’s 41-year school record with 68.5% completions while playing against an all-SEC schedule in 2020. Jefferson completed 67.3% of his passes as a sophomore and first-year starter in 2021, then exceeded that with 68% completions this season.

In 2021, Arkansas was 27th in total offense (441.7 ypg), seventh in rushing (227.8), 85th in passing (213.9), 10th in pass efficiency (159.6) and 48th in scoring (30.9).

In Briles’ first year as offensive coordinator in 2020, the Razorbacks were 66th in total offense (391.5), 78th in rushing (151.3), 52nd in passing (240.2), 23rd in pass efficiency (154.5) and 86th in scoring (25.7).